The invention relates to a sterile container, in particular, for receiving and storing surgical instruments or surgical material under sterile conditions, comprising a receiving space formed by a container bottom and container walls, a lid for closing the receiving space, a sterile barrier permanently defining a sterile flow path for establishing a fluid connection between the receiving space and an environment outside of the sterile container, and an overpressure flow path defining a fluid connection between the receiving space and the environment outside of the sterile container, wherein the overpressure flow path is closed when the sterile container is in a sterile position in which an exchange of gas between the receiving space and the environment outside of the sterile container is only possible through the sterile flow path, and wherein the overpressure flow path is at least partially open when the sterile container is in an overpressure position in which a pressure difference between pressures prevailing in the receiving space and in the environment outside of the sterile container exceeds a minimum pressure difference. Sterile containers of the kind described at the outset with sterile barriers are used to enable exchange of fluid, i. e., exchange of gases, liquids or gas-liquid mixtures, for example, air, in particular, during storage of the sterile container, between the environment outside of the sterile container and the receiving space. During sterilization of the sterile container, large pressure differences between the environment outside of and the receiving space inside of the sterile container may arise and cause damage to the sterile container by, for example, the sterile container being compressed or inflated by pressure forces acting thereon. To avoid damage, when a minimum pressure difference is exceeded, additional bypass flow paths are opened, which permit a high air mass exchange within a short time, which would not be possible via the sterile flow path. As sterile barriers, there are known, on the one hand, filters made of porous material, through which germs and bacteria are unable to pass, and, on the other hand, specially shaped flow paths, which do allow free passage of air, which, in principle, would also permit bacteria and germs to penetrate into the interior of the container, but the aerodynamic conditions in these special flow paths are configured such that there are areas where no flow occurs. Bacteria and germs settle in these flow-free areas and, therefore, cannot enter the receiving space of the sterile container.
In principle, it would be possible to provide a pressure relief valve on the sterile container, which, in the event the minimum pressure difference is exceeded, permits exchange of gas between the environment outside of and the receiving space inside of the sterile container. For this purpose, a further opening would, however, have to be provided in the sterile container, and, in addition, such a pressure relief valve would have to be serviced at regular intervals.
The object of the present invention is, therefore, to so improve a sterile container of the kind described at the outset that design and maintenance of the sterile container are particularly simple.